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NIKE BASEBALL CAMPS

Nike Cal Baseball Camps

Come join the winning tradition of the California Golden Bears Baseball Program by attending one of their outstanding camps. The Cal Program currently offers Winter Camps and Clinics in addition to its popular Summer Camps! The goal at every Cal Baseball Camp is for every camper to take their game to the next level, create lasting friendships while having a good time.

Directing the summer program camp is 2011 National Coach of the Year and California Head Baseball Coach David Esquer. Coach Esquer represents the best in college baseball - first as a player, then as an assistant coach, and now in his 16th year as the leader of the Golden Bears.

Meet Camp Coaches

Camp Director

David Esquer

California head baseball coach David Esquer, the 2011 National Coach of the Year, represents the best in college baseball - first as a player, then as an assistant coach, and now in his 16th year as the leader of the Golden Bears.

As a player, Esquer was the starting shortstop on Stanford's 1987 national championship squad, and as an assistant coach helped produce six NCAA postseason teams and one World Series participant at Stanford and Pepperdine. Now during his tenure as head coach of Cal, Esquer has guided the Bears to a 2011 College World Series appearance and was National Coach of the Year, has led Cal to four NCAA Tournament appearances and was the 2001 Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In addition, he has mentored four players who were selected in the first round of the professional draft and has produced 12 All-Americans.

Esquer, 49, owns a 432-396-2 (.522) career mark with the Bears that includes NCAA regional appearances in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he guided Cal to a 38-23 record as the Bears captured the Houston Regional with a thrilling, 9-8, victory over Baylor with four runs in the bottom of the ninth, and swept through a best-of-three series with Dallas Baptist in the Super Regional, to advance to the College World Series.

At the 2011 CWS, Cal dropped a close 4-1 decision to top-seeded Virginia before defeating Texas A&M, 7-3, for its first win in Omaha since 1980. The memorable season came to an end with an 8-1 loss in a re-match versus Virginia. During the 2011 campaign, first baseman Devon Rodriguez earned Most Outstanding Player of the Houston Regional honors, second baseman Tony Renda was named the 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year and left-hander Kyle Porter earned Freshman All-America honors.

The success in 2011 came despite an initial decision in September, 2010 to discontinue the Cal baseball program due to pressure on the University's budget. Following a fundraising effort that has generated approximately $10 million in commitment, Golden Bear baseball was reinstated April 8, 2011.

Esquer has not only coached 12 All-Americans in his tenure at Cal, but also seen 67 of his players drafted and signed by the Major Leagues, featuring four first-round draft picks, including right-hander Brandon Morrow, who in 2006 became the highest draft pick in school history when he was the fifth pick overall by the Seattle Mariners. Esquer also helped develop center fielder Brett Jackson, a first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2009; first baseman David Cooper, a first-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008; and third baseman Conor Jackson, who in 2003 was drafted in the first round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Beyond the on-field accomplishments, the Cal mentor has also been instrumental in securing several improvements at Evans Diamond – including the new lights and video scoreboard installed at Evans Diamond during the 2013 season – and earlier the Carl Van Heuit Training Center, which provides the Bears with indoor batting cages, bullpens and workout facilities.

Esquer became only the 10th coach in Cal baseball history when he was named head coach of the Bears on June 10, 1999, replacing longtime Cal mentor Bob Milano. Esquer came to Berkeley after serving as the top assistant at Pepperdine from 1996-99. Prior to working at Pepperdine, he was the No. 2 assistant coach at Stanford from 1991-96.

At Pepperdine, Esquer was the program's chief recruiting coordinator as well as hitting instructor, infield coach and handler of the third base coaching duties. During his three seasons with the Waves, Pepperdine compiled a record of 112-63 (.640). During his six-year stint at Stanford, the Cardinal were 222-142 (.610) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times, including a trip to the Col-lege World Series in 1995.

A shortstop at Stanford from 1984-87, Esquer was a starter on the Cardinal's 1987 College World Series championship team. He earned all-tournament honors after hitting .350 with six RBI in Omaha. He also earned All-Pac-10 Southern Division honors as a senior, batting .318 with 41 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Esquer went on to play professional baseball for four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers organizations.

Esquer was a three-sport star and class valedictorian at Palma High School in Salinas, Calif. He was tabbed the "Athlete of the Year" at Palma High School after being named team captain and MVP in baseball, football and basketball.

Esquer earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in sociology from Stanford in 1987. His wife, Lynn, is a former professor at Pepperdine in the graduate school of education and psychology, and a former assistant clinical professor in psychology at Cal. The Esquers reside in Moraga with their daughter, Gabrielle, born July 3, 2002, and son, Xavier, born December 22, 2003.

Mike Neu

Mike Neu, former head baseball coach at Diablo Valley College and former standout at Miami and a Major Leaguer with the Oakland A's, is in his fourth season as the pitching coach for the University of California.

Coming to the Golden Bears with impressive credentials, both as a player and a coach, Neu, 36, was head coach at Diablo Valley College from 2009-11, leading his team to a 87-41 mark (.680) with two Big 8 Conference titles in three years. His 2011 squad was ranked No. 1 in Northern California for four weeks this past spring, and his pitching staff led all the California Community Colleges with a 2.13 team ERA.

Additionally, Neu has been an associate scout for both the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves, and was the pitching coach for DVC in 2007 and 2008. His professional baseball career included playing in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds organizations. Neu was called up to the Major Leagues with the Athletics on April 9, 2003 and proceeded to post a 3.64 ERA in 32.0 relief appearances (42.0 innings) that season.

At the University of Miami Neu had a stellar 1999 campaign and helped the Hurricanes capture the College World Series title with a 6-5 victory over Florida State in the championship game. He finished the year 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA and tallied 110 strikeouts in 67.0 innings, earning Collegiate Baseball All-America honors. Neu led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (14.8) and was selected to the All-College World Series team with three saves and appearances in all four of Miami's games at the CWS.

Neu had transferred to Miami from Sacramento City College where in 1998 he was the Northern California Pitcher of the Year, the Bay Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and a junior college All-American while going 15-0 with a 1.44 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 108.0 innings. He was named the 1998 Cal State Championship Final Four MVP after throwing 11.0 innings with no earned runs and notching a win and a save in the state tournament.

Raised in Napa, Neu attended Vintage High School where he set Monticello Empire League records for career wins (21) and strikeouts (196). As a senior in 1996 he was first-team All-State, all-region and MEL Player of the Year with a 10-1 record, a 0.64 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Neu was also league player of the year as a junior.

Neu, who earned a Masters in physical education from Ball State in 2011, replaces long-time Cal pitching coach Dan Hubbs. Hubbs, after 12 years working with the Bear hurlers, returned to his alma mater, USC, and became head coach for the Trojans.

"We are extremely excited to have Mike Neu join the Cal baseball program," said Esquer, the 2011 National Coach of the Year who led the Bears to the College World Series. "Mike is known for having one of the best baseball minds in the Bay Area. He will be an outstanding addition, both for our players and our coaching staff. Mike is familiar with all the local talent and that will definitely help us with our recruiting in Northern California."

Neu and his wife, Nicole, reside in Martinez with their son, Damon, born Nov. 28, 2006.

Assistant Coach

Brad Sanfilippo

Brad Sanfilippo, a former UC Davis standout who was a member of the Golden Bears’ coaching staff during their 2011 College World Series run, is Cal's new hitting coach and will...

Brad Sanfilippo, a former UC Davis standout who was a member of the Golden Bears’ coaching staff during their 2011 College World Series run, is Cal's new hitting coach and will handle the third base coaching duties for the Cal baseball program.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Brad back to the Cal baseball family,” said Esquer. “He was instrumental in our success during our latest postseason appearances and is familiar with our offensive and defensive philosophies. He is someone our kids enjoy playing for and is a tireless worker.”

Sanfilippo has spent the last two seasons as the recruiting coordinator and third base coach at San Jose State after being a volunteer assistant for Esquer during the 2010-12 campaigns in which the Bears appeared in two NCAA regionals, capturing the 2011 Houston Regional and the Santa Clara Super Regional on the way to the school’s sixth College World Series appearance.

With Sanfilippo handling the first base coaching duties, Cal averaged more than 31 wins per season, including defeating Texas A&M, 7-4, in Omaha to give the Bears their first CWS victory since 1980. He assisted 18 different Cal players who were drafted by major league teams, including Tony Renda, a second-round selection by the Washington Nationals, and Marcus Semien, a sixth-round pick by the Chicago White Sox.

“I am thrilled to be returning to the University of California and the Cal baseball family,” said Sanfilippo. “Berkeley is a very special place with incredible people, and having the opportunity to work with coach Esquer again is a big part of that for me. I am looking forward to working with the talented group of players coach Esquer and coach (Mike) Neu have put together, knowing that I have existing relationships with many of them already. My energy and efforts will be to help build upon the winning tradition of this program and I am thankful to be a Golden Bear again.”

Prior to this first stint coaching at Cal, Sanfilippo had spent six seasons as the head varsity coach of Los Gatos High School where he led his squad to its first two Central Coast Section titles in school history in 2006 and 2009. Both years Sanfilippo's teams finished 28-5 and were ranked 12th in the final California Division II rankings. He concluded his coaching tenure at Los Gatos High School with a record of 139-51 (.731), which included four Santa Clara Valley Athletic League/De Anza Division titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009). Sanfilippo was named San Jose Mercury News and Palo Alto Newspaper Group Coach of the Year in 2006.

As well as excelling in coaching at the high school ranks, Sanfilippo was an assistant for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2009 where he coached Cal's former standout first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha. In 2006 and 2007, he was an assistant coach for the Northern California squad in the North vs. South Series. In 2002, Sanfilippo served as the Director of Baseball Operations at Santa Clara, and also served as an assistant to former UC Davis Athletic Director Greg Warzecka (a former Cal baseball player and assistant coach).

As a player, Sanfilippo was a three-year starter in the outfield at UC Davis from 1996-98; batting .349 as a sophomore, .350 as a junior and .320 as a senior. In 1998, he was team captain and a first-team Western District GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American. Sanfilippo ranked in the Top-10 in single-season bests for triples (five, 1997) and runs scored (56 in 1997) for the Aggies.

Sanfilippo competed in football, basketball and baseball at Los Gatos High School and was inducted into his high school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. He and his fiancé, Colleen, reside in San Francisco.

Staff

Noah Jackson

Noah Jackson, a member of the Golden Bears' NCAA regional squad in 2001, is back at his alma mater as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the 2015 season.
Jackson has a wealth of...

Mike Reuvekamp

Mike Reuvekamp, who was an inspirational player for David Esquer's squad from 2012-14, is entering his first season as a student coach for the Golden Bears.

Reuvekamp was a valuable member of Cal baseball the past three years, seeing action either at shortstop or behind the plate. He was a two-time Pac-12 honorable mention All-Academic selection and as a junior in 2013 had three game-winning hits for the Bears.

A transfer from Diablo Valley College, Reuvekamp was a standout at Miramonte High School where he was first-team All-DFAL in 2009, helping his team to the North Coast Section Division III title. Reuvekamp batted .450 as a junior in 2008 and .420 as senior in 2009. He is majoring in American studies.

Camp Details

WINTER PROGRAMS

PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL SKILLS CAMP

The Cal Baseball Program will be hosting a preseason camp for high school baseball players.

This evaluative camp is designed for players to perform and learn offensive drills, defensive drills, and game skills with the Cal coaching staff.

Camp curriculum will include a hitting circuit in the batting cages and on the field, on field defensive skills, a short scrimmage, and an informational recruiting discussion with Q and A. The camp is designed for advanced high school level baseball players.

PRESEASON ADVANCE INFIELDING CLINIC

The Cal baseball program is excited to offer our Pre-season Advanced Infield Clinic.

The Advanced Infielding Camp will focus on skill development for the middle and corner infielder. We will structure the camp with a progression of drills that will work on throwing angles and techniques, footwork, glove work, timing, feeds, and situational defense.

PRESEASON ADVANCED CATCHING CLINIC

This catching clinic is designed to instruct advanced skills in catching. Curriculum will include blocking, receiving, throwing, how to call and control the game, and a bullpen session.

The clinic will be instructed by the Cal coaches and players.

PRESEASON ADVANCED PITCHING CLINIC

This pitching clinic is designed to instruct advanced skills in pitching.

This camp will be instructed by Cal Pitching Coach, Mike Neu, as well as other current Cal pitchers. All campers will receive instructional handouts and an evaluation.

FEBRUARY HITTING CAMP (FOUR TUESDAYS)

Each Session is made up of four Tuesday nights of hitting drills.

We will teach the proper mechanics of the swing using a progression of drills to work on a variety of skills needed to be a great hitter at any level. We will base instruction around both, the physical and mental approach to hitting, and provide a positive and fun environment to succeed.

All Sessions will take place in the Evans Diamond Batting Cages located in right field.

Dates: February 3, 10, 17, 24

EQUIPMENT

Camper must bring their own baseball equipment appropriate for their given camp or clinic. Glove, bat, cleats, running or turf shoes, cap, helmet, and any other equipment necessary.

PARKING

Metered parking is available near Hellman Stadium on Oxford Street. Please note that many of these meters have a one-hour limit. However, other meters on the surrounding streets such as Dana, Ellsworth, Fulton, Durant, Bancroft and Channing may allow up to two-hour parking. After 5 pm on weekdays, you can purchase a campus parking ticket for $5 at the Schlessinger Way ticket dispenser that enables you to park on campus. On weekends, you can also buy a parking ticket for $5 at the Schlessinger Way ticket dispenser that allows you to park on campus for the day.

SUMMER PROGRAMS

BASEBALL SCHOOL

The NIKE Cal Baseball School is an all skills camp which covers both individual position instruction as well as hitting, baserunning, situation drills, and game play. All aspects of the game are covered. Games will be played throughout the week of instruction.

BASEBALL GAMES CAMP

The always popular games camp will include game play both in the morning and in the afternoon. Campers will be divided up by age and ability each day and placed on teams to compete.

ADVANCED CAMP

This camp is for players looking to excel at the High School squad or for those looking to play College baseball. "College Style" workouts, drills and instruction takes place during this program including discussions on playing in college and what it takes to be a college student athlete. Advanced Camp runs 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Campers are required to bring their own lunch to camp.

Facilities

Evans Diamond, the home of Golden Bear Baseball, will play host to all camps. Campers will learn and train in the new, state of the art batting cage facilities. The latest equipment is used to provide campers with a safe and fun camp experience.

One of the most picturesque and unique college baseball facilities in the nation is Evans Diamond, which has served as home of the Golden Bear baseball team since 1933.

Fans enjoyed changes in Evans Diamond in 2006, as construction was completed on the Carl J. Van Heuit Training Facility, a new patio area and grass bank was situated along the left field line, plus artwork, sponsored by Truitt and White, now graces the back of Edwards Track Stadium and the Recreational Sports Facility. The Carl J. Van Heuit Training Facility, named after the former Cal football Hall of Famer who was a staunch supporter of the Bears' baseball program, provides the team with indoor batting cages (Jeff Kent Batting Cages), indoor and outdoor bullpens (Stuart Gordon Bullpens), as well as weight training and conditioning equipment. The graphics on the RSF wall are of former Cal standouts Chuck Hensley, Rod Booker, Lance Blankenship, Jon Zuber, Matt Luke, Bobby Kahlon, Xavier Nady and Conor Jackson.

Evans Diamond's received a field facelift in the fall of 1992 at a cost of $275,000, which was completely paid for by Cal alums. RNT Landscaping of San Leandro, Calif. completed the renovation of the Evans Diamond playing surface, which included leveling the field, installing a new drainage system, replacing both the infield and outfield grass and placing a warning track around the entire field.

Originally part of Edwards Field, named in the memory of Colonel George C. Edwards, Evans Diamond was named after legendary Cal baseball coach Clint Evans, who served as the Bears' head coach from 1930-54, leading the Bears to first-ever College World Series title in 1947.

The playing surface at Evans Diamond features natural grass, along with a mixture of clay and crushed cinder infield surface. The outfield measurements at Evans are 320 feet down the lines, 365 to the power alleys and 395 to center field. The seating capacity is 2,500.

Evans Diamond is located on the southwest corner of campus, between Edwards/Goldman Field Track Stadium, Haas Pavilion and the Recreational Sports Facility. The easiest access to the field is off Cross Campus Road (Frank Schlessinger Way), which intersects Oxford Avenue near the north end of the track stadium.

Camper Reviews

Parent

5/5.

Coach Esquer's approach to coaching, playing, and the game of baseball is truly inspiring!

"Coach Esquer's approach to coaching, playing, and the game of baseball is truly inspiring. We're grateful that he is so willing to invest his time and energy in teaching young kids who will take these lessons with them as they go forward in the game and in life."

Parent

Kept baseball fun!

Parent

The camp was perfect!

"My son came back greatly improved and with an even bigger interest in baseball. The camp was perfect!"

Parent

5/5.

Our son went in not being that big a fan of baseball and now he's hooked!

"Our son said this was his favorite camp of the summer. He went in not being that big a fan of baseball and now he's hooked! Just what we were hoping. He loved all the coaches and liked the movies too. And we'd like to give a shout out to trainer Mike who did an incredible job of taking care of Leo's diabetes all week. We couldn't have done it without his help. Amazing camp! Go bears!!"

Parent

5/5.

All around great camp

"My son said that Coach Mike Neu was a particularly good pitching coach. He also remarked after the first day how well run the camp was in comparison to others he's attended. My impression was (just based on how tired he was when he got home) that they did a lot at this camp, which is great."

Day Camper

5/5.

This was my 2nd year of advanced camp

"I have been going to Cal Baseball Camp for 5 years. This was my 2nd year of advanced camp and i really enjoy going. The coaches are great and have great drills."

All Rights Reserved. Nike and the Swoosh design are registered trademarks of Nike, Inc. and its affiliates, and are used under license.Nike is the title sponsor of the camps and has no control over the operation of the campsor the acts or omissions of US Sports Camps.